The Hanks Appeal to the Elderly

There is a small phenomenon that has been coursing its way over the years. It goes unnoticed by all. A silent beast lurking, until just the right moment to strike. A pandemic that sweeps the nation and empties the living room of many a senior citizen.

The release of a new Tom Hanks movie.

(Cue dramatic reveal music) Dun, dun, DUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!!!

If you think I am crazy, or if you call me a liar, then let me change your mind with a few paragraphs and sentences. If I don't blow your mind, than oh well. Your mind is invulnerable to being blown to smithereens by sheer awesomeness.

Enough of that. I noticed the "Hanks Appeal to the Elderly" when I was but a lowly theater employee back in 1999. A film had just been released to universal acclaim starring non other than Mr. Tom Hanks: The Green Mile. And as I worked during its run at our theater, I noticed an unusual occurrence. That was that an excessive amount of elderly people were in the audience. I noticed this, because of all the demographics, they are the ones who tend to stay sitting the longest in a theater. If you don't believe me, just work at a theater for three years as an usher and you'll understand what I mean.

It never fails, every time we would go to clean a theater, there would invariably be that one person who likes to sit and wait til the last credit rolls. I AM that person (gotta respect the film by staying, unless its a crapper). But senior citizens will stay more than the average film goer. Why? I have no idea, but they do. So when the Green Mile was playing, we would always have to wait til the credits were completely over because there were SOOOOO many elderly, you couldn't work around them as you could normally on other shows.

So after every showing of The Green Mile, we would have to stand in the back of the theater, waiting for everybody to leave so we could clean and move on to the next theater. This may not sound so bad, except for the fact that on a busy weekend, you need to be in and out of those theaters quick, so as not to get too backed up.

At the time, I attributed the large amount of senior citizens to the nature of the movie. But then the next year, the same elderly flocking occurred again, on Cast Away. "Hmmm, that's odd," I'd tell myself. "The last time I saw this phenomenon was on Green Mile. I wonder if it has anything to do with Tom Hanks?" I still wasn't sure at this point what exactly was causing it. It wasn't until summer of '02, when Road to Perdition came out, that I made the case for "The Hanks Appeal to the Elderly."

From then on, every single Tom Hanks movie I go to see, the theater is filled with Senior Citizens. What is it about Tom Hanks that appeals to so many elderly? And then I realize what it is? It's the women dragging the men. I have noticed an unusually disproportionate ratio of women to men. Maybe it's that Tom Hanks is such a good wholesome fella, that every Grandmother wants as a son or a grandson. I have no idea. Why does this phenomenon exist? And furthermore, how much of a loser am I for coming up with such a baffling conspiracy theory?

I can almost attribute it to the types of movies and roles Tom is in. However, Ladykillers still had a large 55+ demographic. But i think most of us were duped by that movie anyway, so we'll call it square. Then there was Road to Perdition in which the good boy Tom Hanks plays a murdering Mobster. So I'm not sure if is entirely his roles that brings in the senior folks. I think the strongest argument I have for the reason why this happens, lies in the film Forrest Gump. I think that this film won over so many hearts of so many people, that people have a strong connection with him.

I don't think the elderly go to the cinema often anymore. Most of today's movies are loud, obnoxious, and raunchy. But when the senior folk do come out, they want it to be a good film. They want to not waste their money. And they know they like Tom Hanks, so consistently you'll find he draws in that demographic more than anybody else.

For a while I felt the "Hanks Appeal" had waned, that is until today, when I saw Angels and Demons. Wouldn't you know it, 90% of that audience was carrying an AARP card, and got in for two dollars cheaper than I. Son of a gun.

So don't be fooled, The "Hanks Appeal to the Elderly" does exist. You are warned. Though i don't know what you'd do about it. It's just an oddity that I've noticed over the years of film going. Still think I'm crazy? Probably right.

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